Europe’s human rights body seeks probe into Czech Roma death

PRAGUE (AP) — Europe’s main human rights body has demanded a thorough and independent investigation into the death of a Roma man who died after a Czech police officer responding to a call over an altercation knelt on his neck. Police say the man’s death last week was due to a drug overdose, and the country’s prime minister backed their handling of the incident. But Roma activists reject the police explanation and are planning a protest rally on Saturday. Some compare the incident to the killing of George Floyd, a Black American man who died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, according to prosecutors. The Council of Europe said in a statement Wednesday that the police action was “alarming.”